Friday, December 17, 2010

As folks age, we tend to have a changing view of them. There are some who would rather put the old out to pasture and go forward with the new. There are many who seek to gain value from the experiences of the past.

I remember years ago while in high school (Palatka South High School), I had a psychology teacher named Dawson, Jonathan Dawson, I believe. He was one of those young, "hip" teachers of the early 1970s!

He said something in class one day that I still recall some 38or so years later. Paraphrased a bit it went something like "We can learn something from everyone - even old people - if only just how to survive to be old!"

So as Christmas and the holidays approach, take the time to learn something from the older ones among us. For if you and I are lucky, we will both be there one day - sooner than you think!

Monday, December 13, 2010

I spent this afternoon putting the ornaments on our Christmas tree. Over the years I have always done this with my son's help. He is a little older now - 26 but we still do it when we can get together. But he was out of town today with his wife.

My grandson was supposed to help but apparently the Cartoon Network won the battle for his attention.

The holidays can be stressful. Shopping for gifts, preparing for trips (or for company) and all the other stuff! And if you are selling you house or moving during the holidays, it is even more challenging.

As I placed every one of those 100+ ornaments on the small tree, I was amazed at how many of them brought back memories. Like the hand sewn gingerbread man my wife sent me two months after we met 33 years ago. It was displayed on that little tree in sickbay on the USS Canisteo while deployed overseas. Or, the baby's first Christmas ornament from 1984. Or, the "It's a Wonderful Life" ornament which reminds me of my favorite Christmas movie - yep black and white!

Every Christmas is a new memory that will be looked back on in future years with a bit of nostalgia.Make the best of it - life is too short!

To all who stumble upon my little blog, as Tiny Tim stated so eloquently in Charles Dicken's classic, A Christmas Carol, "God bless you everyone."

Friday, December 10, 2010

Routinely I recommend a home inspectionprior to listingany older home -not to save the buyer an inspection but rather to address any unknown issues.Buyers almost always have an inspection done after they have a house they want to buy under contract. A home purchase is too big of an expense to save a few hundred dollars not having an inspection conducted. Buyer inspections are critical and can easily become a deal breaker.If your home is more than a few years old there may be some hidden issues. Some of these issues may be minor and can be taken care of by the owner or may require a service call by an appropriate professional.Why not take care of these potential “deal killers” early on? A clean inspection report can be a plus in the marketing process – especially if your home is an older home.Even if there are no "deal breakers" sometimes the "little" things may result in the buyer asking for concessions(read that as price cuts)in order to proceed with the deal.

If you are consideringselling your Brevard County Florida home, let me know. I would be happy to discuss the process and how we can help you!Gary L. Waters PLLC, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida.